Measurement of Affective Behavior Changes in Students in an Innovative Engineering Course. Final Report.

Sears, John T.

Reported is a longitudinal study on changes in affective attitudes for the purpose of determining the effectiveness of a 1971-72 innovative guided design course. In the pretest-posttest control group design, the experimental group was composed of chemical engineering juniors, and the control groups were junior students in civil or industrial engineering. Affective variables included: (1) student's perception of himself and his surroundings, (2) debilitating and facilitating anxiety, (3) internally-oriented characteristics, (4) achievement motivation, and (5) understanding of engineering function. Osgood's semantic differential, Rotter internal-external locus of control scale, the Edwards personal preference schedule achievement scale, the achievement anxiety test, and an engineering function questionnaire were used as instruments. Practicing engineers answered the same questionnaire to ascertain differences in their operational procedures. Significant differences were noted in perception of the importance of communications as compared to mathematics and science and in such concepts as "engineer,""future goal," and "change." The remaining variables manifested changes in the preferred direction. The experimental group become more internally controlled. The guided design course was satisfactory. Recommendations were made on further research on noted trends. (CC)